Biography

Signed by the Titans as a free agent* on May 3, 2012...spent time in 2012 as the place-kicker for the Premier South Football League’s Rocket City Titans...also played one game as a substitute place-kicker for the Alabama Hammers Arena Football club...after his final season at the University of North Alabama in 2009, earned a tryout with the Atlanta Falcons and was invited to rookie minicamp with the Chicago Bears in April 2010 but did not sign a contract with either club...in four seasons at North Alabama, punted 141 times for a 40.8-yard average (5,756 total yards) with 15 touchbacks and 38 punts placed inside the 20...earned first-team punting duties as a sophomore...shared kickoff duties his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons and also served as a holder on placekicks during his junior and senior years...as a senior (2009), punted 57 times for a 41.6-yard average (2,371 total yards) with a long of 70 yards, seven touchbacks and 18 punts placed inside the 20...also kicked off 34 times with five touchbacks...named All-Gulf South Conference, Associated Press Little All-American and added All-American honors from Daktronics, D2Football.com, Football Gazette, and JBScouting...added ESPN Magazine second-team Academic All-American honors as well as inclusion in the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society...named the UNA Team of the Decade punter and was voted Special Teams Player of the Year for 2009...as a junior (2008), punted 53 times for a 41.2-yard average (2,183 total yards) with a long of 61 yards, seven touchbacks and 14 punts placed inside the 20...also kicked off 62 times with 13 touchbacks...named AFCA All-American as a punter and added All-American honors from Daktronics, Associated Press Little All-American, D2Football.com and Football Gazette...named All-Gulf South Conference and Academic All-Gulf South Conference...as a sophomore (2007), punted 30 times for a 39.0-yard average (1,170 total yards) with a long of 52 yards, one touchback and six punts placed inside the 20...also kicked off 27 times with one touchback...as a redshirt freshman (2006), focused solely on football...punted one time for 32 yards...as a true freshman (2005), redshirted in football and pitched for the UNA baseball team, clocking a 92 mph fastball...graduated in 2009 with a major in economics/finance and a minor in chemistry...high school/personal: lettered in four sports at Brooks (Killen, Ala.) High School...began playing football in his junior year...as a junior, earned first-team All-Area honors as a placekicker...as a senior, earned first-team All-State honors as a place-kicker and All-Area Honors as a punter...has trained with former Titans punter Craig Hentrich as well as former NFL punter Louie Aguiar and former NFL special teams coach Gary Zauner...born William James Batson on Sept. 8, 1986 in St. Louis, Mo.

* First-year free agent

Signed by the Titans as a free agent* on May 3, 2012...spent time in 2012 as the place-kicker for the Premier South Football League’s Rocket City Titans...also played one game as a substitute place-kicker for the Alabama Hammers Arena Football club...after his final season at the University of North Alabama in 2009, earned a tryout with the Atlanta Falcons and was invited to rookie minicamp with the Chicago Bears in April 2010 but did not sign a contract with either club...in four seasons at North Alabama, punted 141 times for a 40.8-yard average (5,756 total yards) with 15 touchbacks and 38 punts placed inside the 20...earned first-team punting duties as a sophomore...shared kickoff duties his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons and also served as a holder on placekicks during his junior and senior years...as a senior (2009), punted 57 times for a 41.6-yard average (2,371 total yards) with a long of 70 yards, seven touchbacks and 18 punts placed inside the 20...also kicked off 34 times with five touchbacks...named All-Gulf South Conference, Associated Press Little All-American and added All-American honors from Daktronics, D2Football.com, Football Gazette, and JBScouting...added ESPN Magazine second-team Academic All-American honors as well as inclusion in the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society...named the UNA Team of the Decade punter and was voted Special Teams Player of the Year for 2009...as a junior (2008), punted 53 times for a 41.2-yard average (2,183 total yards) with a long of 61 yards, seven touchbacks and 14 punts placed inside the 20...also kicked off 62 times with 13 touchbacks...named AFCA All-American as a punter and added All-American honors from Daktronics, Associated Press Little All-American, D2Football.com and Football Gazette...named All-Gulf South Conference and Academic All-Gulf South Conference...as a sophomore (2007), punted 30 times for a 39.0-yard average (1,170 total yards) with a long of 52 yards, one touchback and six punts placed inside the 20...also kicked off 27 times with one touchback...as a redshirt freshman (2006), focused solely on football...punted one time for 32 yards...as a true freshman (2005), redshirted in football and pitched for the UNA baseball team, clocking a 92 mph fastball...graduated in 2009 with a major in economics/finance and a minor in chemistry...high school/personal: lettered in four sports at Brooks (Killen, Ala.) High School...began playing football in his junior year...as a junior, earned first-team All-Area honors as a placekicker...as a senior, earned first-team All-State honors as a place-kicker and All-Area Honors as a punter...has trained with former Titans punter Craig Hentrich as well as former NFL punter Louie Aguiar and former NFL special teams coach Gary Zauner...born William James Batson on Sept. 8, 1986 in St. Louis, Mo.